Title: crush dilemma

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It was the next day, and somehow, I found myself in the middle of what Felix—being Felix—has dubbed "The Bottom Squad." The name is self-explanatory and extremely irritating, especially since I'm technically a member.

Seungmin sat across from me, the one and only "Single Pringle" of the group, sipping on his iced Americano like he wasn't surrounded by a bunch of lovesick puppies.

To my left, Jake was doodling little hearts in his notebook, muttering under his breath.

"What's that about?" I asked, peering over his shoulder.

"N-nothing!" he yelped, slamming the notebook shut so hard I thought he might break it.

Yeah, sure. Because "nothing" totally explains the poorly drawn hearts labeled with SH.

Sunghoon. I was willing to bet my limited edition crisp stash on it.

On my right, Jungwon was giggling into his phone. His face was red as a tomato, and I didn't even need to guess what—or rather who—he was texting.

"Jay again?" I teased, leaning over to peek.

"Shut up!" he whined, clutching his phone to his chest like it was the Holy Grail. "You wouldn't get it. It's true love."

"True love?" Seungmin repeated dryly. "The guy who said, 'If you can't keep me in a pocket locket, I'm gonna be a player'?"

Jungwon glared at him. "People change, Seungmin."

"Yeah, sure, and my coffee's sweet," Seungmin retorted, sipping his 99% bitter drink like the walking definition of cynicism.

Felix, sitting cross-legged on the couch, had a dreamy look on his face.

"Hyunjin kissed my forehead yesterday," he announced out of nowhere, like it was the highlight of his life.

"Wow, groundbreaking," Sunoo deadpanned.

"It was groundbreaking! His lips were so soft—"

"Alright, that's enough," Seungmin cut him off. "Some of us are single and don't want to hear about your forehead escapades."

Sunoo, meanwhile, was trying (and failing) to act casual while scrolling through Ni-ki's Instagram.

"Is he even your type?" I asked, watching as Sunoo lingered way too long on a photo of Ni-ki holding a random kitten.

"Shut up," he snapped, his ears turning red.

"That's not a denial."

"Fine! Maybe I like him. Happy?"

"Not really, no."

It wasn't until Seungmin gave me a pointed look that I realized everyone had been airing their love lives (or lack thereof), except for me.

"What about you, Jeongin?" Seungmin asked. "Still pretending you don't have a crush on Chan?"

"I don't have a crush on Chan!" I shouted, perhaps a bit too loudly. Everyone turned to stare at me.

"Right," Seungmin said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That's why you looked ready to commit murder when he stole your crisps yesterday."

"That's not because I like him; it's because he stole my crisps!" I argued.

"Sure, that's the reason," Felix chimed in. "And not because you're so in love you might as well wear a 'Future Mr. Bang' T-shirt."

"I am not in love with Chan!" I protested, standing up.

"DENIAL!" the whole squad yelled in unison, even Seungmin.

I sat back down with a groan, wishing I could melt into the floor.

These idiots. 

As the laughter died down, Jungwon leaned over, smirking like the devil himself. "So... when's the wedding, big bro? Should we start calling you Mrs. Bang now or wait until you propose?"

"First of all," I snapped, glaring at him, "if anyone's proposing, it's Chan. Second, there is no wedding because I don't like him."

The entire room fell silent for a moment before the squad collectively burst into laughter, even Seungmin, who I was sure was physically incapable of joy.

"Oh my god," Felix wheezed, clutching his stomach. "You just admitted you're waiting for him to propose. You're not even denying it properly anymore!"

"I AM denying it!" I shouted, my voice practically echoing.

"That's so cute," Sunoo cooed, putting his hands together mockingly. "Our little Jeongin wants to be swept off his feet. Maybe Chan will serenade you with a bag of crisps in hand."

"Do you want me to fight you?" I growled, pointing a finger at him.

"You'll have to get in line," Seungmin chimed in dryly. "I've wanted to fight him for years."

Sunoo flipped his hair dramatically, like he hadn't just been called out for scrolling through Ni-ki's Instagram moments ago.

Felix, ever the instigator, gasped with faux excitement. "Ooooh, we should write wedding vows for Jeongin and Chan! Let's start: 'I, Jeongin, vow to never let Chan touch my crisps again, unless he looks at me with those irresistible dimples—'"

I threw a cushion at his head before he could finish. "I'm going to strangle you."

"Violence won't make the feelings go away, babe," Felix teased, dodging the cushion like a pro.

"Yeah, it's like Sunoo pretending he's not head over heels for Ni-ki," Jake added without looking up from his notebook.

"Excuse me?" Sunoo spluttered, his face going crimson.

"Yeah, you're not exactly subtle," Jungwon agreed, leaning back smugly.

"Says the guy who texts his boyfriend so much that his phone battery dies twice a day," Sunoo shot back.

"That's called commitment," Jungwon retorted, lifting his chin.

"Yeah, to draining electricity," Seungmin muttered.

"Speaking of commitment," Felix said, wiggling his eyebrows at me, "Jeongin, when are you gonna commit to confessing? We all know it's going to happen eventually."

"It is not going to happen!" I yelled, standing up dramatically. "Why can't you all just focus on your own messy love lives? Jake can't even draw a decent heart, Jungwon's practically a walking power outage, and Felix—don't even get me started on you and Hyunjin's forehead chronicles!"

Felix gasped, clutching his chest. "I told you, that kiss was groundbreaking!"

"And I told you, no one cares!"

"Denial!" the whole squad chorused again, Felix even banging his fists on the couch for emphasis.

As I sat back down with a loud groan, Jake tapped his pen on his notebook thoughtfully. "Actually, you should confess. What's the worst that could happen? He says no?"

Felix snorted. "Yeah, like that's even a possibility. Chan is so into Jeongin it's painful to watch."

I froze, the words echoing in my head. "What... what do you mean?"

"Oh, please," Sunoo scoffed. "The way he looks at you? He might as well have a neon sign over his head that says, 'Jeongin's biggest simp.' It's embarrassing."

"He doesn't—"

"YES. HE. DOES," Jungwon said firmly, cutting me off. "I've seen it. We've all seen it."

Seungmin nodded sagely, like a wise monk or something. "It's true. I even caught him doodling on his notebook once. Guess whose name was all over it?"

I blinked, my brain short-circuiting. "You're lying."

"You wish," Seungmin deadpanned.

Felix leaned in with a smirk. "You're lucky he hasn't already proposed with a crisp ring. But don't worry, we'll help him plan the wedding."

"I hate all of you," I muttered, grabbing a cushion and covering my face.

But even as they laughed and teased, a tiny, annoying voice in the back of my mind whispered: What if they're right?

I was doomed.

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he isnt doomed 

BTW this is inspired by how your friends react to ur crush especially if your in denial and i was always in denial